Youth Conference

We left Spanish Fork at 5:00 a.m. on Thursday morning. We were about 45 minutes into our 6 plus hour drive when our bus got a flat tire. We were really lucky because we were by Deer Creek and we were going up a hill when this happened. We could have been on the freeway going 70 mph and really been in trouble.
Just as we were getting into camp the first day, One of our leaders got her foot ran over by one of the wheels on the hand cart. She stayed off it the rest of the night , and even though bruised and sore, she was a trooper the rest of the time. She did not want to miss out on anything.Our ma for the ward was Melanie Hamilton. Here she is telling the Bishop and the 2nd councilor what to do, where to put it. etc. After our walk into camp she was trying to save her energy. She really played her part well.

On Friday morning the 4th of July they had a beautiful program. These kind of things have always touched my heart, but they really take on a new meaning with Tyson serving our country. So you guessed it I was a big blubber head. It is good that everyone forgot their camera. After the program we all got lined up for our walk into Martin's Cove. It was already blazing hot.
Getting to Martin's Cove was so hard but so rewarding. As I was in the cove and looking over the ground where the pioneers bury their loved ones, while the wolves were waiting for them to leave made me realize how grateful I am that they were so strong and so faithful.

This picture is when they came and took all the men to join the Mormon Battalion. It did not really hit the girls until they told us we had to get back on our own. Our ward was really small and now with the men gone we had 3 hand carts and only 2 women and 2 girls for each one. That was all fine and good until we got to sandy hill. I don't have a picture but as we got there the men were lined up on both sides of the hill and the sand was deep, the rocks were many and they were told that they could not talk to us, help us nothing. Let me tell you there is NO way physically we were going to make it up that hill. We did not have enough help. But, with a prayer at the bottom of the hill , the help of our Heavenly Father and everything we had.. We made it.

When we got back to camp the men and boys told us that was also the hardest thing for them. They just had to watch and hope and pray that we would not fall or stop. They were praying as hard as us for us to get to the top.

As we got back into camp the stake gave each one of us 2 oz of flour and told us we could cook it however we wanted. ENJOY.

We had some that put enough water and made a pancake. Some of them put just a little and had kind of a roll. They were good sports even though they were starving after a very hard and hot day. When they were just about ready to call it quits and get some sleep they brought us over some chicken and potatoes. It was the most appreciated meal we had.

When I got home I thought, I do not ever have to do that again. Now that I have been able to catch up on my sleep I have decided that I could go again. I would love to have my whole family go and fill the spirit that is there. And have their testimony grow by leaps and bounds. I am so thankful for my membership in the church and I am especially grateful for those saints that were so strong and so willing to give up everything they had to be in Zion .